October 1, 2012

Rabid Reads: "The Sisters Brothers" by Patrick deWitt

The Sisters Brothers

by Patrick
deWitt

House of Anansi
Press (2011)

330 pages

ISBN
9781770890529

I'm a genre fan, so the best way for a literary author to entice me
into reading their work is to write a genre novel. In Patrick
deWitt's case, he went with a western. Whether by design or destiny,
I'm unconcerned why he wrote it. I'm just glad he did.

The book deals with a notorious pair of gunslingers, the Sisters
Brothers, as they ride from Oregon City to San Francisco in search of
their latest target as ordered by their taskmaster, the Commodore. It
doesn't much matter what the man they've been hired to kill did to
earn his demise, for Eli and Charlie, he is a payday. The story
unfolds as told by Eli, whose appetite for killing has waned and he
suspects he will quit after he and his brother kill Hermann Warm. Eli
is already on the outs with the Commodore, seen as the weaker of the
two brothers, and if not for Charlie's apparent comfort in the job
and learning at the feet of their boos, Eli would just as soon tell
the whole lot of them to go to Hell. But, his loyalty to his brother,
an ironclad bond forged in their formative years, keeps him at
Charlie's side in spite of his reservations.

Eli is a remarkable character with such stark swings of mood, I
wondered if he might be mentally ill in some way. If he is, he's not
alone, as several characters they encounter on their journey were
striking with their wild moods and theatrical tirades. Eli is a
lonely soul, at a crossroads in his life, with a desire to settle
down and start a store back in Oregon City. So when he meets the
proprietor of one of the hotels where they stay and strikes a
friendship, his dreams of a different life intensify. But, each time
Eli comes close to seeing some tangible quality of some other life,
Charlie intercedes either with a reminder of their mission or a
rough-and-tumble altercation with a newfound enemy.

As they near their target, the true nature of their task takes on a
different light, and their loyalties are called into question more
than once. It's a bit like Homer's Odyssey meets Clint
Eastwood's Unforgiven. The sweeping adventure with interludes
and encounters with violent and eccentric characters, couple with the
gritty, unvarnished backdrop of the 19th century gold rush. There are
moments that feel utterly familiar with the other westerns I've had
chance to read, but more over the book feels like a stand-out in the
genre for it's dark humor and protagonist's tumultuous mindset.

For a hired gun with more than a few notches on his gun belt, Eli
Sister was an utterly likable character throughout the book. The
relationship he forges with his sadsack horse, Tub, was heartwarming
and ultimately tragic, and unquestionably the scene-stealer of the
entire book--for me, anyway.

Even if you don't go for westerns or stories about guns for hire,
this is a novel well worth reading. And, hey, it was written by a
Canadian author, so that was an added bonus for me.